Project Management in Organizations: A Marks & Spencer Analysis

This report delves into the critical aspects of project management within the context of an organization, specifically using Marks & Spencer as a case study. It explores the usefulness of various project management tools and techniques, such as Gantt charts, logic networks, PERT charts, product breakdown structures, and work breakdown structures, highlighting their application in handling projects effectively. The report also covers the importance of project sponsors and stakeholders, the benefits of project management, and the essential characteristics of a project manager. Furthermore, it examines the significance of project communication and various project management techniques, including the waterfall project model. The analysis provides insights into project implementation, communication strategies, and self-development plans for improved project management capabilities. The report emphasizes the need for sustainable development and effective handling of retail functions to improve business operations, revenue generation, and overall productivity. The document provides a comprehensive overview of project management strategies and their impact on organizational success.

Managing projects in the
organisation

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
1) Access the usefulness of project management tools and techniques to handle the projects at
the workplace...............................................................................................................................1
2) Preparation of plan for implementation of project and communicating it with colleagues and
Stakeholders.................................................................................................................................6
3. Critical evaluation as the ability to manage a project, evaluating one's strength and
weaknesses and a self-development plan that will improve in managing projects...................13
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................16
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................17

INTRODUCTION
A proper management of the business project is very deep and important for a business
organisation. Effective handling of an organisational project will support proper assessment of
various functions which help in proper assessment of tools and techniques supporting in gaining
good idea related to it in much suitable way. The Marks and Spencer will see through suitable
handling of certain projects within an organisation that can be improved to a good level of
business operations and activities and thus will lead the firm to have a good productivity. The
present report will analyse the effectiveness of Marks and Spencer to enhance the functionality
and retail activities. It is a UK based retail enterprise, working all around the world.
The project management will enhance the overall assessment of action plans and
operations which are being taken by an organisation. Besides this, a proper project management
plan is been discussed and developed that the chances of implementation of appropriate
complexity within a organisation. Other than this, it will help in assessing the ability of a firm or
enterprise to evaluate ability to manage a project successfully.
MAIN BODY
1) Access the usefulness of project management tools and techniques to handle the projects at the
workplace
An effective and suitable project management tool is used to take in care the successful
management and handling of projects that will help in suitable management of retail operations
which will increase the quality of retail activities and operations in much suitable way. It helps in
improving overall implementation of operations of Marks and Spencer and thus will lead
organisation to improve quality of business activities and thus will improve quality of outputs
and services which are chosen for proper and effective assessment of scope of growth factors
that are been carried out within an organisation (Akbar and Mandurah, 2014).
Need of sustainable development in M&S
Marks and Spencer is one of the major and well known organisation that is been
operating all around the world. But in the recent time, the firm has seen tremendous increase in
competition that has caused a reduced development of organisation which will improve the
overall performance of business operations in much effective way (Olins, 2017). Thus, the
management of organisation to look after the effective management activities in much suitable
way. The projects that will be undertaken by the organisation is required to be executed precisely
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and successfully for having sustainability and good development. The projects are been planned
and effectively carried out in much suitable way that improves the quality of operations guiding
Marks and Spencer to maintain a good revenue generation and profitability. Proper assessment
and planning is been done in order to enhance effectiveness of services and hence, help the
organisation to operate effectively.
Project sponsors and Stakeholders:
A project within an organisation is looked after by the project sponsors or stakeholders.
They are the people who would see through the effective handling of retail functions and
activities with more efficiency and effectiveness (Naoum and Egbu, 2015.). A sponsor or
stakeholder is a person who has some sort of interest within functioning of an organisation like
Marks and Spencer. Sponsors are the people who will look after proper financial supporting of
operations in order to get promoted while stakeholders have certain share in the enterprise and et
a part from revenue. They will provide the important resources and facilities that will assist
Marks and Spencer to execute the project activities within the organisation. It assists a firm to
improve effectiveness of retail entity and hence, increase effectiveness of project.
Benefits of Project management:
There are various benefits of project management that improves the quality of projects
and operations in much suitable and effective way. Some major benefits of project management
is:
 It increases the operational effectiveness of the organisation to carry out and implement
various project management tools and techniques and improve the efficiency of
organisation to a greater extent.
 This will help in improving the scope of an organisation to a greater level and help in
enhancing the overall operations and improving the quality of products and services
provided by the firm to a greater extent. M&S will see through the proper management of
business operations and activities that will increase in effectiveness and feasibility of
retail functions of Marks and Spencer and thus, will be proved out to be beneficial for the
firm.
Characteristics of project manager
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The characteristics related to project managers assist in improving the effectiveness of
data and information which is gathered to a greater level. These will enhance the overall
performance which enhance overall performance of a retail functions like Marks and Spencer
which will improve quality of activities and thus, help in handling of operations in much suitable
way (Ziek and Anderson, 2015). The qualities like proper time and resource management,
leadership, communication skills and encouragement will lead the organisation to perform their
operations in effective manner. This will assist organisation to have a good management of retail
operations that are been taken within the firm.
Project communication
Apart from this, effective project communication measures chosen by Marks and Spencer
to improve quality of business activities and proper assessment of the project which help the firm
to improve quality of project management functions.
Project management tools and techniques
The suitable assessment of various project management tools and techniques will
improve the quality of functions, increasing quality of operations in effective manner. It
improves effectiveness of projects and operations taken in consideration by organisation to
increase their market efficiency.
Some major project management tools and techniques that assist selected firm to carry
out its operations are:
 Gannt Chart: It is one of the major and most used project management tool that will
help the firm to carry out effective and suitable business environment. It is a sequential
assessment of the functions and activities which are carried out at a business organisation.
This supports a good handling of retail activities of the organisation to improve overall
performance in much suitable way (Fernandes, Ward and Araújo, 2015). Besides this, it
helps to identify the interdependence of various activities or operations that are been
followed to carry out the implementation of a project in much suitable way. The Gannt
chart assists and enterprise to have an effective time and other resource development plan
that increase overall operation of Marks and Spencer to improve performance of selected
organisation and to enhance the quality of operations. It helps firm to sequentially carry
out the project activities in much suitable way. This will improve the quality of
operations and action plans that are been carried out within organisation are been
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analysed. Besides this, it will provide details regarding the starting and ending time of a
project activity, improving its effectiveness. This is one of the biggest tool to carry out
the business operations and activities effectively. It helps management of an organisation
to set appropriate milestones, to make the plans and business activities accordingly. This
assists M&S to carry out proper management of retail operations and activities and
supports a sequential planning of various operations related to operation's.
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 Logic Networks: it is an interconnected network of various network sequence that assits
in handling of project operation effectively. A logic network will help in proper
management of the organisation. This also assist in the placing of effective timescale and
workflow in the form of diagrams and graphs that increase the quality of business
operations and retail activities of Marks and Spencer (Bryan, 2018). It also improves
proper re evaluation of suitable ideas and information related to different techniques. It
helps the organisation to overlook the techniques and increase the understanding towards
the precedence related to proper management of mile stones and time frames that are
been set by management of Marks and Spencer. This will help the firm to have a logical
planning and this improve the overall performance of organisation.
 PERT Chart: also known as the Program evaluation and review techniques, this project
management tool helps the organisation to execute the business operations related to
retail sector effectively in much suitable way. It helps organisation to analyse and
evaluate all the tasks which are taken in consideration by the selected firm to improve
effectiveness of functions and project development tasks that are been carried out within
a firm. This assessment activity helps in identifying and distributing the time needed to
complete each task, identifying the minimal time frame to carry out and execution of
desired project. It is one of the most precise and accurate means of making project
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development plan. It is beneficial for M&S as evaluation will support the organisation to
improve business effectiveness and assist in management of operations in a very effective
manner.
 Product Breakdown structure : Abbreviated for PBS, these project management and
implementation tool helps the firm to improve the quality of operations (Rau and et.al.,
2018). It helps the organisation to make the project to be more exquisite, structured and
hierarchical in nature that supports the propwer delivery or implementation of a project.
The building of a proper work breakdown structure will assist in proper assessment of the
contributions of various activities that will assist in proper management of work
breakdown and proper building structure that will assist in proper assistance towards
maintaining a good relationship within the project, between various activities. It involves
PRINCE2 project management method that will help in developing a proper management
of product breakdown structure. It also supports getting proper details of product or
output that will be gained by Marks and Spencer. It is good for firm as the breaking down
will assist in having a good classification of structure that will improve quality of
operations and meeting functions of organisation in better way.
 Work breakdown structure: Fondly known as WBS, it is the most common and
effectively used project assessment tools which manage in activities and operations to a
greater level. It's a sequential or hierarchical structure of various project activities which
help in suitable placing of the project and retail operations and activities and action plans
that are followed effectively. It enhances the feasibility of business functions which is
executed within organisation and thus will increase the effectiveness of the project that is
been undertaken by organisation. Apart from this, it will also help in the proper
management of the roles and responsibilities to the people who are associated with them
and the project (Remington, 2016). Besides this, it helps in effective analysis of budget or
costing that is been carried out within organisation. All these operations, will support
management of project planning and resource allocation, improving the effectiveness of
retail operations. M&S will look after the proper management of functions lead the firm
to carry out the further operations after an extensive research and analysis. It enhances
the quality of operations which will be carried out within the organisation in much
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suitable way. It is good for selected organisation as it assist in sequential planning of
different operations.
Other than these, there are certain techniques which are followed by Marks and Spencer
to improve effective operations and helps the organisation to carry out a project effectively. They
will be applied with PM tools to get the desired and superior output based on the data that is been
implemented. Some basic techniques that are been carried out are:
 Waterfall project model: this technique is used to resume the proper business operations
in much suitable and effective way that will support a good management of retail actions
and project planning that is been followed properly (Biemans, 2018). This included the
principle that first one of the milestone is achieved then the further goals are chosen by
the firm. This will improve utilization of opportunities selected for utilization by
management of a firm to improve the performance of a business entity like Marks and
Spencer.
 Critical path management: this involves the assessment of the estimates and assessment
of retail activities which help in predicting estimates related to projects that will help in
following retail functions and activities in much suitable way. It will help in handling of
retail activities and action plans which will help in effective rise in operations and
activities of the organisation effectively. Besides this, it helps in proper development of
operations and official time frames that are been taken in consideration by completing
task by task in a sequence, forming a path. This will lead the organisation to have a good
management of retail project operations. The main objective of these techniques is that it
helps the management to find out the best and shortest path or measure to carry out the
project completion in less time (Aubry, Richer and Lavoie-Tremblay, 2014).
This involves the proper assessment of these tools and techniques will assist organisation
to increase the proper management of business operations effectively. It improves classification
of projects and its activities and hence increase quality of operation's in much suitable way.
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2) Preparation of plan for implementation of project and communicating it with colleagues and
Stakeholders
The preparation of the plan is very important and vital as it increases the firm's
effectiveness and improves production capacity of a business entity. The organisation like M&S
will look after the proper management of businesses and its ongoing as well as up coming
projects which will help in suitable planning and resource allocation of the resources. Besides
this, it will improve the core compatibility of an organisation in much suitable way. The proper
and effective project implementation and management will lead the project manager at an
organisation to have a good communication and understanding with its colleagues and
Stakeholder which improve the quality of retail functions effectively. The stake holders
associated with this firm will assist the organisation to carry out business activities
(Hjelmbrekke, Lædre and Lohne, 2014). M&S will see through handling of a project that
includes the effective establishment and implement of an operation management software to
improve the organisation's productivity.
The PID (Project initiation document) is a part of PRINCE2 approach which will include
the effective handling documents and management retail operations and activities of project
operation and thus will support the organisation to have good deliverables by initiating the
projects. It includes the project composition, setting up of goals and proper approval of project
related to implementation of operations management software within M&S.
The proper project implementation plan and Gannt Chart related to the business operation
will assist a firm to manage retail business operations. The project plan for Marks and Spencer to
implement a new sustainability management software to maintain the project sustainability in
order to improve the quality and sustainable development includes the project development life
cycle and is consists of various stages which are as follows:
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The project development life cycle will consist of various research and effective
assessment processes that will increase feasibility of retail enterprise and managing project to
gain a good output (Shields and et.al., 2015). It involves various stages and operations which are
as below:
Project initiation: This is the first phase of the project development life cycle that will
help M&S to gain a good market share and thus will help in improving overall performance of
organisation in much suitable way. It improves the quality of project that is been carried within
organisation. It involves the handling of retail operations and thus will improve the effectiveness
of operations in much suitable way. It involves assessment of project using a feasibility study
that helps project manager to identify the scope and extent of the project that is been carried out
within the organisation. Besides this, proper feasibility is been carried out within organisation
including the developing of a business case, undertaking its feasibility study, establishing a
charter of project, team appointing and condiucting phase review in much effective way. This
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Illustration 1: Project development and implementation plan
Source:Project Management Life Cycle, 2018

will enhance the effectiveness of a firm to carry out the initiation or starting of a project. This
will also lead the enterprise to implement OM software within organisation within selected retail
enterprise, Marks and Spencer.
Project Planning: This involves the proper planning of the project plan improving overall
operations of Marks and Spencer. It improves quality of operations and hence increase
performance of organisation significantly. The proper assessment measures will lead the
organisation to improve scope of operations to a greater extent. The Project mangers at M&S
will see through proper management retail operations and organisation to improve effectiveness
of activities in much suitable way (Godenhjelm, Lundin and Sjöblom, 2015). The project
managers and M&S will look after the proper planning ad allocation of different resources. It
involves the proper management of the software development cycle for M&S. It also includes
various processes that will help in creation of a proper plan within M&S. This will also improve
the acceptance plan that will improve the quality of operations. As the project manager will
develop these different plans and appoint the teams, they will see through the proper
management of business activities. This will improve proper planning of business activities and
plans to implement proper software's within organisation.
Project Execution: At this stage, the project manager will look after the proper management and
effectiveness of costing, quality, time and risk measurement measures that will improve the
quality of processes that are been taken within organisation to have a good development of
project execution measures that will improve project communication among various departments
and will improve effectiveness of operations and action plans in much effective way. This stage
also sees proper implementation of project and will lead a good growth of organisations and
implement the designed project in much effective way (Montes, 2018). The effective execution
of the project will help the firm to carry out the business activities and thus will improve overall
performance of business activities in much suitable way. It will also include the post
implementation management measures which assists M&S to plan its future strategies and
operations in much suitable way. Thus, this can be said that the proper planning of the operation
supporting organisation to enhance functionality of M&S by implementing a business activities
and operations in much effective way. At this stage the software will be implemented within the
various systems that are been taken in consideration as a project within an organisation.
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